Claudia Voss, honorary mayoress, is presented with a fait accompli when her Southern German district decides to build a refugee centre in her town. Some of the population are fuming and resistance grows, but there are equal amounts of willingness to help and empathy. Unexpectedly, the committed wife and mother attracts the attention of right-wing circles and faces attempts to intimidate her. The more Claudia Voss tries to mediate, the stronger the hostility becomes. A gripping contemporary thriller which paints a nuanced picture of the challenges brought by an increasingly polarized political reality. No exception, but instead a widespread, alarming phenomenon in today’s democratic societies.
Christiane Balthasar
Director
Anna Schudt
Claudia Voss
Felix Klare
Peter Voss
Jule Hermann
Leonie Voss
Alexander Beyer
Landauer
Uwe Preuss
Gerhard Zöllner
Michael Sideris
Herr Bäumer
Marleen Lohse
Nadine
Katharina Behrens
Annemarie
Carl Phillip Benzschawel
Hannes Bachmann
Christian Hockenbrink
Michael Baumann
Reinhard Mahlberg
Knuth
If I had truly wished to witness "Guardians of the Galaxy", I would have stayed home to do so. Instead, I went to the IMAX and took in this newest incarnation of one of the most recognized and adapted superheroes in the DC Universe. **Sigh** Let me be clear here. I am NOT saying this is an AWFUL film.
Remember Caroline from Vampire Diaries? Well, now she’s The Suitcase Killer, allegedly.
Standing up for what's right, she's met with miraculous results. She takes charge of her own destiny.
The social issues The Half of it takes on are handled well, between the antagonization brought on to Ellie for her race and the conflict that arises from her being gay. Both aspects of her character are built up over the course of the film and don’t seem abrupt or rushed. The film shows racism towards Ellie and her and father in varying levels, from having her schoolmates specifically address her as "Chinese girl” to the fore mentioned way her Dad is treated due to language barriers. The same can be said about Ellie being a lesbian. While she never truly “comes out” in the narrative, that does not undermine her journey of self-discovery from being meaningful. These ideas aren’t thrust upon the viewer in a preachy manor, the scenarios that occur feel believable given the rural setting. The film presents watchers with problems whom those like Ellie may face, and leaves us to sit with them and reflect.
If a movie about a strange and crazy day is commercially successful, why not recycle it and double the kookiness quotient? That seems to be the logic behind this followup to Freaky Friday.
Mona Fastvold’s nineteenth century lesbian romance is emotionally charged, restrained, and poetic without feeling forced.